If you were not among the 75 folks who were at Sportsman's Warehouse in Chico last weekend to attend popular local guide Kevin Brock's salmon fishing seminar, a lot of useful information for local Sacramento River salmon anglers was covered. The major topics Brock hit upon were on rod/reel selection, line types, drifting roe, and wrapping Kwikfish lures.

Brock's favorite rod for drifting with roe is a 7 ? to 8-foot spinning rod with a soft tip, rated for 8-15 pound lines. The soft tip is an absolute must to allow the fish to take the bait in before setting the hook. Brock emphasized anglers should not set the hook until the fish has "pumped" the rod at least twice, allowing the fish to eat the bait completely. As for reels, Brock uses Penn Spinfisher SSV4500 spinning reels because of their smooth drag. Most of the time the reels are filled with 12-pound test monofilament line, but 15-pound test will also suffice.

The terminal rig for drifting, boondogging, or dragging with cured roe utilizes a 4 ? to 5-foot leader made of 12-pound test fluorocarbon, tipped with a size 1 or 1/0 Owner SSW hook tied on with an Egg Loop Knot. Sinker weight varies a lot depending on current and depth, but use just enough pencil lead or slinky weight to lightly but consistently let the bait "tick" along the bottom. Add a puff ball to the hook, and cut a dime to nickel-size piece of roe. Slip the roe inside the egg loop and be sure to change the bait often.

The favored rod for using plugs like Luhr Jensen Kwikfish is also in the 8-foot range, with 8-feet, 2-inches being Brock's favorite. Again the tip must be very soft to allow the fish to grab the lure and turn. Standard reel is baitcast-style, with Brock opting for a Penn International 965 filled with 65-pound braid. A 40-pound test mono leader that is 5 ? to 6 feet long, and a 12-inch dropper to the sinker complete the setup. Again, just enough sinker weight to "tick" the bottom is used; anything from one to eight ounces may be called for.

The salmon are not leader shy with Kwikfish at all, and Brock uses the heavy leaders to make sure he can get his favorite lures back if they get snagged up. Braided line also does not stretch, so it is much more sensitive to bouncing the lure along the bottom without getting snagged up, feeling the lure swimming properly, and feeling a bite.

When selecting a Kwikfish color, Brock says you can never go wrong with green/silver, but added that if conditions are cloudy, some blue is good. Very early in the morning, orange is a good choice. If water conditions are murky, brighter colors are best, and if the water is extra clear, darker colors may produce.

Choosing between the popular Kwikfish sizes K15 and K16 is largely a matter of gauging water conditions, but the K15 size has a slightly faster wiggle, and is preferable for aggressive fish. A fairly small sardine fillet for the Kwikfish is Brock's choice, but he secures it with 20 or more wraps of stretchy thread.

Brock tunes every plug after wrapping the sardine fillet on, to make sure it swims straight, by turning the front attachment eye. When an individual plug is productive, he will mark the exact dimensions of the sardine wrap so that it can be replicated again and again.